Most helpful positive review

I won't bother by giving you a synopsis or details about the game that can be easily found in a general review. Instead I will list a few details why, even with only 20 or so hours into the game so far, that I believe that X and Y are the best installments in the series. In no particular order:

1) The boring guided intro is gone and you are almost immediately on your own catching Pokemon and exploring.

2) Many old favorites from generation I and other fan favorites are featured almost right from the beginning. This is in stark contrast with B & W, where only new unknown pokemon are featured initially. This should appeal to gamers who are fond of the first games from the 90's.

3) No more waiting for powerful pokemon in the late-game, formerly only really usable in post-game. I caught a Bagon by the second gym and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

4) Mega-evolutions bring interest back to fan-favorites, showing younger gamers the great pokemon they are not familiar with and, again, appealing to gamers who played the original games.

5) "Super Training" makes EV training (competitive training) fun, easy, fast, and accessible for anyone. You can fully EV-train pokemon in less than an hour, and undo it all with a special item, and redo it as you change your strategy.

6) Trainer customization and online features make this feel more like an RPG.

7) The shiny encounter odds are reasonable now.

8) Perfect IV pokemon are a few breeding steps away with the new "Friend Safari" and new breeding mechanics.

9) The graphics are stylized just like the anime now. It REALLY looks great.

10) Now that Game Freak has tweaked the game to be more reasonable, competitive pokemon can be trained in a reasonable time, therefore cheating/hacking is not even necessary (it is blocked for the foreseable future anyway).

Now if I had to give it a few negative points: the 3D is only active in single battles and only certain parts of the overworld because the framerate is low when 3D is on and would probably become terrible with more action. The dialogue is still a bit childish and boring for the most part with bland side-characters. The difficulty needs to be higher (although they did make is accessible for all ages at least). Lastly, the 3DS really needs a cellular card in it or something because WIFI is still not consistent enough when going various places to take advantage of the new online features. I am sure if Nintendo had an online service for the 3DS like the Amazon Kindle does, even for a low cost, that many would subscribe just for this game.

Most helpful critical review

What a shame. X/Y is not a horrible game, but left much to be desired.

X/Y's story is poorly paced with several heavily underutilized characters. A shame because had the execution been better it would've been pretty good. Not that Pokemon has ever been amazing in that department, but after Pokemon Black/White 2, it felt like it took a 180 and felt very unsatisfying. It's still a better story then say Gold/Silver though. Team Flare is also easily the worst Team of any Pokemon game to date. A new level of stupid and boring, really.

Kalos itself is not very interesting as a region. I wasn't a fan of the extravagant French vibe going on. Lumoise City successfully captured the vibe of a bustling central capital better then any Pokemon game to date although packed with many utterly useless cafes. The biggest con of Kalos though is that all the routes felt extremely short and uninteresting, more so then any other Pokemon game. Maybe Gamefreak thought they could compensate for that with a huge amount of Pokemon to be captured in this game alone and maybe that does to some people I guess. I don't know about you but routes should be their own little journey and you should felt a twinge of excitement reaching the next town. I can name just three places where dungeons/routes had any actual length and two of them are near the end of the game or optional end-game content.

Lack of post game content is another really big negative point here, probably the most disappointing. After Black/White 2's packed post-game, it left much to be desired. You've got the Battle Maison, which itself is fun, but...that's it really it. Capture a few legendaries, of which don't exactly count in my eyes except one. The Friend Safari is another interesting end-game feature, but felt gimmicky to me and doesn't exactly make for long-term content. The Looker missions, which are short and have no replay value. It's quite evident Gamefreak tried to shoe-horn everyone into competitive battling as the main post-game content.

That's it really. It's far from my favourite Pokemon game, but what it does right it does well (Online features, 3D, Pokemon Amie, Super Training and trainer customization) and it is still a good introduction to Pokemon. If you're obsessed with Catching Them All and competitive battling you'll feel right at home here, everyone else will play it, put it down and probably not pick it up again.

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I won't bother by giving you a synopsis or details about the game that can be easily found in a general review. Instead I will list a few details why, even with only 20 or so hours into the game so far, that I believe that X and Y are the best installments in the series. In no particular order:

1) The boring guided intro is gone and you are almost immediately on your own catching Pokemon and exploring.

2) Many old favorites from generation I and other fan favorites are featured almost right from the beginning. This is in stark contrast with B & W, where only new unknown pokemon are featured initially. This should appeal to gamers who are fond of the first games from the 90's.

3) No more waiting for powerful pokemon in the late-game, formerly only really usable in post-game. I caught a Bagon by the second gym and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

4) Mega-evolutions bring interest back to fan-favorites, showing younger gamers the great pokemon they are not familiar with and, again, appealing to gamers who played the original games.

5) "Super Training" makes EV training (competitive training) fun, easy, fast, and accessible for anyone. You can fully EV-train pokemon in less than an hour, and undo it all with a special item, and redo it as you change your strategy.

6) Trainer customization and online features make this feel more like an RPG.

7) The shiny encounter odds are reasonable now.

8) Perfect IV pokemon are a few breeding steps away with the new "Friend Safari" and new breeding mechanics.

9) The graphics are stylized just like the anime now. It REALLY looks great.

10) Now that Game Freak has tweaked the game to be more reasonable, competitive pokemon can be trained in a reasonable time, therefore cheating/hacking is not even necessary (it is blocked for the foreseable future anyway).

Now if I had to give it a few negative points: the 3D is only active in single battles and only certain parts of the overworld because the framerate is low when 3D is on and would probably become terrible with more action. The dialogue is still a bit childish and boring for the most part with bland side-characters. The difficulty needs to be higher (although they did make is accessible for all ages at least). Lastly, the 3DS really needs a cellular card in it or something because WIFI is still not consistent enough when going various places to take advantage of the new online features. I am sure if Nintendo had an online service for the 3DS like the Amazon Kindle does, even for a low cost, that many would subscribe just for this game.

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Let me begin by saying that I am a long, die hard, Pokemon fan. I began back with Pokemon Ruby, and subsequently moved to play the first and second generations. I was absolutely and completely mesmerized by the amazing fun and thrilling rush of playing any Pokemon game. I still remember skipping middle school to stay home and train my Larvitar in Pokemon Silver. I still remember bringing my Gameboy Advance everywhere to try to find Surf in Pokemon Red. I vividly remember beating the Elite Four in Pokemon FireRed for the first time and maniacally pressing A in hopes of catching Mewtwo with the UltraBall.

However, things have changed. I am a college student now. Pokemon Black and White, was for me, a major disappointment. I logged over 100 hours in Pokemon Pearl and Platinum and barely even got my 7th badge in Pokemon Black before completely quitting and never touching it again... I feared the worst, oh god, did I outgrow my childhood? Was I becoming more cynical, more serious, heaven forbid, more mature?! No!! Where was my childhood thrill that I got from training my Dragonite, capturing Lugia, and chasing down Mesprit?! I feared the fun would never return and I was just another grown - up...

Well, Pokemon Y brought it back... and during midterms week.

I have logged in more than 20 hours with Pokemon Y so far, (who needs microecon anyways?) and I barely got my 8th badge, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GAME. I feel the same rush I felt when I was in middle school training my pokemon! This game is great! It fixed all of what was wrong with Generation V such as boring and lackluster Pokemon interactions, and revamped the system without taking away my beloved formula of capturing Pokemon.

My Charizard, Raichu, and Greninja are all ready to tackle the Elite Four and I feel like a Pokemon Master again! DEFINITELY BUY THIS GAME IF YOU LIKE POKEMON. Even if you were disillusioned with Pokemon Black and White, give XY a try. I did, and I do not regret it. The graphics are amazing, and the magic is certainly there.

Pokemon Y brought some well needed air to the franchise and I can say that I am a Poke Maniac, once again.

This game feels a lot like Generation III and IV! This feels like a TRUE Pokemon game!

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NOTE: when Pokémon X & Y shipped there was a bug that could break your save game. That has been fixed in an update, so before you play you should run the update. It's really easy to do and the 3DS will walk you through each step--you turn on the network, launch the game, say yes to the prompt to update it, and walk through the prompts to get the update applied.

Pokemon X and Y are a fantastic progression of the Pokemon series, and just like with 'Black' I & II and 'White' I & II, my daughter and I each chose one of the two games--this time around she's playing 'X' and I'm playing 'Y'. It's amazing to see how much more we get in the terms of content, graphics, music, and of course general things to do. However, before I say more I think you should be aware that there is a savegame bug in the out-of-the-box new product that could kill your savegame. I'll post a link to an article about it in the comments, so update your game using your 3DS to get the fix before you get to Lumiose City!

If you're new to Pokemon, the shortest way I could explain it is that you are a young person in a land where many different kinds of creatures exist in the wild called 'Pokemon'. These creatures can be captured and cared for, and for many children this is a kind of rite of passage: you learn how to capture and train Pokemon, travel the land on your own, and have adventures. You use your Pokemon to have battles, against other trainers and against wild Pokemon. If it sounds a bit cruel, keep in mind that this is a game for young people and as such Game Freak goes out of their way to make the story a positive lesson: you have to take care of your Pokemon, they grow to like you, and no one ever dies--they just 'faint' and can be revived. Some creatures can 'evolve' into different forms, and with X and Y we now get 'Mega-Evolution' that adds to our options and makes the possibilities even more diverse.

If you're contemplating buying a Pokémon game for a child in your family, there is educational value to be had here: I'm amazed at the huge and creative variety of creatures, and my daughter has coached me on strategies: type matching and analysis are important skills that require memorization, reasoning, and a bit of basic math. You have to manage money to buy things and plan your inventory before taking a trip out of town. And sometimes your character is asked questions to make them think.

Pokemon X and Y are the latest entries in the series, and they take the new ground that was broken in Pokemon Black and Pokemon White (both of which had sequels, I & II) several steps further. Perhaps the biggest change in X and Y is that you interact closely with your Pokemon:

- play with them: there are fun minigames that you play together- feed them: you get "Pokemon puffs" that look like little pastries that you can hand-feed them using the stylus- interact with them: petting them makes them happy, and when they're in a particularly good mood they'll play a game with you in which you get to make faces with them: the 3DS camera will show your Pokemon your smiling, winking, or making a 'kissyface'. Your Pokemon delight in your antics.- train them: you can play other minigames that boost their stats, allowing you to really bump up their skills! Have a Pokemon that's slow? Do lots of Speed training and they'll get faster. It's been huge amounts of fun watching my favorite Pokemon's stats raise and they really do perform better in battles.

All of this revolves around a central story line, with good guys and bad guys, and the difference between X and Y seems to be that the storyline in 'Y' appears to go into a little bit darker territory than 'X', though both have the same overall story. You are encouraged to use the wireless aspects of 3DS to trade, battle, and 'see' each other's Pokemon when you're with someone else who is playing X or Y. You also get "O-Powers", which can be used to bump up stats as well. And early on in the game you have a chance to choose one of the three first-gen 'Starter' Pokemon and add them to your party, which is a really nice nod to the earlier games.

There is a lot more to X and Y in that your character can now change clothes and mix and match different outfits. You can buy clothes in various boutiques throughout the land, and my daughter loves coming up with her own fashion ideas. Your character can shoot 'promo videos' of themselves, though this bit is kind of weird and a bit lame, like the 'movies' that you could make in Pokemon Black and Pokemon White...not very clear how it works, not sure exactly what the purpose is.

There are huge benefits this time around too: most of the game is animated, and it all has a very nice cel-shaded look (think Sly Cooper or recent Zelda games). Camera angles are fairly dynamic, especially during battles, when the camera pans around or does split-screen effects, etc. Battle is a lot more animated, with more visual effects. The music sounds really great, as if it's been orchestrated this time around. The region you are in resembles a European village, complete with a lot of French-sounding names and places. As a very long-time player of JRPGs, I really didn't mind the look of the prior games at all--but I really LOVE the new look & feel of Pokemon X & Y! But the biggest boosts to the gameplay are:

- Experience Share isn't specific to one Pokemon: it's in your pocket and causes bonus XP to be shared with every member of your party- It used to be that if you captured a Pokemon, no experience was handed out for the battle: now, you still get XP.- It also used to be that if a Pokemon fainted during a battle and wasn't revived before the battle was over, they didn't get XP. They do now! I even had a Pokemon faint and level up while fainted. This was a pleasant surprise that makes level-grinding easier to do.

If you're new to the Pokemon games and this is your first one, X and Y are a great place to begin--you'll be a bit spoiled! If you're a fan of the original games, picture this as another step forward, with a whole new look. I've really enjoyed the additions and changes, as most of them seem aimed at making the entire experience of a Pokemon game more enjoyable.

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To put it simply - maybe! Read on to see why, but be warned of some minor gameplay spoilers. To avoid them skip down to my "bottom line" section. Also, make sure to check there for the latest on the "save bug" that may temporarily break your game!

To those familiar with the series, you'll recognize the old familiar pattern right away. Receive Pokemon and Pokedex and then fight your way to the top, beating the bad guys along the way. For those new to the series however, Pokemon X/Y offers a more than adequate introduction, though because of this gameplay exposition, conversation is just a little bland for the first few towns. On that topic, while newcomers will find these games entirely accessible and enjoyable, there are several friendly nods to eras gone by placed with in the games, as old familiar faces make appearances. Further, you'll get to pick a first generation starter right off the bat to augment your team, a touch that I absolutely loved.

Speaking of familiar, the story and its baddies are nothing really new - starting with Black and White, Pokemon started making more of an effort in that department, but plot is still not is strong suit. That said, some of the cast members do manage to stand out, especially a couple of really unique gym leaders and other NPCs. Most, however, are fairly cookie-cutter. Still, where this would ruin most RPGs, it's not a huge concern for Pokemon, where the goal is always catching em all and being the best.As for catching them all, I confess myself slightly disappointed - there are significantly fewer new Pokemon than were introduced by prior generations. However, the lack of quantity is neatly compensated for by high overall quality - prior generations have seen some serious "dud" Pokemon, but there don't seem to be any this go-round. (Addendum: Found the dude Pokemon. Klefki, I'm looking at you!) The new additions are, fortunately, well-padded by five prior generations, and so you never run out of things to catch.

Next up is gameplay. While the basics have remained the same, Game Freak has, as always, tweaked the balance just a bit - in fact, they've done rather a lot this time. Introducing a new type for the first time in 14 years is a bold move, as was retconning a few Pokemon into the new type. Fortunately, it seems to work out - no doubt it'll give the hardcore metagame analysts something to chew on for a good long time, and for the rest of us, the game is more balanced than ever. Next in line of gameplay changes is the well-hyped "mega evolution" mechanic, and YES, it is exactly as cool as it sounds. I'd hate to spoil anything, but I will say that some are game-dependent, and overall X seems to get the "cooler" end of the stick in that department.

Additionally, "Pokemon Amie" is an entirely endearing side-game that I think really adds an extra dimension to Pokemon interactions. While it may not do much for some audiences, for those that really enjoy bonding with their virtual pets, this really takes things to new heights. Again, I don't want to spoil much, but there are some Pokemon that it is just endlessly entertaining to pet.

As to graphics, well, screenshots obviously don't do the game justice. Pokemon in 3D is reminiscent in some ways of the console games, especially with the exciting dynamic camera movements and attack animations. The sheer amount of "stuff" going on in battle makes it very exciting - except for when it causes a bit of lag. This is mainly an issue in larger-scale battles (horde battles are also an exciting introduction!), but a slight disappointment nonetheless, since it's precisely those big, epic moments that would be most impressive in smooth, 3D glory. On the other hand, the world is absolutely gorgeous - running your customized character through Kalos is a real treat, especially with all the ways to get around. Having played since the first generation, jumping up a ledge for the first time was an absolute joy.

Sound effects are, as usual, a bit outdated. The music however is gorgeous - not quite a match for the second generation (in my own opinion) - but beautiful nonetheless.

Overall, X and Y are fantastic additions to the Pokemon family. They shake things up in exactly the right way while maintaining the philosophy of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Hardware limitations can sometimes put a damper on things, but they hardly dim the brilliance of a very exciting sixth generation.

**UPDATE ON THE SAVE BUG** Nintendo and Game Freak are aware of a game-crashing bug that may occur when saving on the outskirts or some inner avenues of Lumiose City. A patch has been released for both the downloaded and cart version, and can be downloaded for free from the 3DS eshop. There are different downloads for versions X and Y, be sure to get the correct one!

Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them below, or to contact me at SeanOnAmazon@gmail.com.

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I've been a fan of the Pokemon franchise since Blue Version. I was pretty disappointed with the Pokemon in Black/White and the games have seemed to be getting worse and worse. That being said, Pokemon X has been quite amazing so far.

Although I haven't gotten very far in the game yet, it's a completely different feel from any of the past Pokemon games. The battles are very reminiscent of the console versions, which brought back a lot of nostalgia. The graphics are very crisp, and the towns are beautifully designed and very different from Pokemon towns that you might be accustomed to. The new Pokemon are actually interesting so far, and I haven't come across any poorly-named ice cream cones or garbage bags.

Definitely happy with my decision to buy it, and a good step back in the right direction for Pokemon.

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So I'm gunna post my review of the game here... it's big and stuff so I apologize but I didn't wanna start a new thread again.

Pokemon X/Y

Where to begin... Well I guess at the start. I have been playing Pokemon games since they started. My first game was Pokemon Blue and I have never missed one in the series since. The joy of finding new Pokemon never seems to get old for me. SO when I learned about Pokemon X/Y I was of course Joyful as I usually was when hearing about a new Pokemon game.

Nothing could prepare me for this game. Nothing.

Gameplay 10/10

For those new to Pokemon, You enter a world where we capture, raise, and battle with Animals known as Pokemon. They gain levels, have stats, learn different attacks and each has their own elemental Strengths and Weaknesses attached to them. Fire is weak to water, Water is weak to Grass, Grass is weak to fire etc... there are 18 I believe elements in total and all have their own Rock-Paper-Scissors Pros and Cons. This is back and of course just as fun as ever. Do you want to make a team of all bug Pokemon? Go for it! but know that you will be weak against Flying, Rock and Fire types, and yet strong against Psychic, Poison and Grass etc... Or you could have a team of various Pokemon, ready to fight against all types whenever the need arises. Building your own team has always been a highlight of the series, and with over 700... let me stop right there. SEVEN HUNDRED... different Pokemon to chose from you have a ridiculous number of monsters to chose from to form your 6 slot party. Now not all 700+ are in the game, I believe only around 4-5 hundred are to start, but you can trade Pokemon from previous games up and use them if your friends have it or you can even go back and try the old games etc... But this game has plenty of Pokemon to try out and have fun with

For those that are familiar with Pokemon , this game has everything you would ever want and much MUCH more. First off they have streamlined how leveling your Pokemon works. No longer do you have to Slowly one by one level each of your Pokemon against weak wild Pokemon and then grind more and more and more etc... Instead the game has made a few key changes to how EXP works which I shall list below.

1. Any Pokemon that participates in the battle now gets 100% EXP, it no longer gives 50% to one and 50% to another. or 33% to all three etc...2. You get an EXP.Share about 1 hour into the game (After the first gym battle) And this time it is not even a held item! It sits in your inventory and as you fight, any Pokemon that participated in battle gets 100% Exp, any in your party that didn't get 50% exp. This is beyond amazing and is a fantastic way to level your low level Pokemon quickly without having to suffer from putting it in front, and switching out your Pokemon every single fight. If you don't like this feature, you can of course turn it off in the item menu. I suggest not doing so3. Catching a Pokemon still grants you EXP as if you had killed it.

As a result of these new EXP changes you spend almost no time simply leveling up Pokemon and instead you will be spending your time trying to catch the Pokemon then you will simply grinding. In fact There are a few Pokemon in each area that aren't quite as common as others. For example in Route 1 there is a Zigzagoon that is harder to find than the more common Pidgey's Fletchings, and Caterpie that wander around. There always seems to be one in each area, and in an attempt to find it you naturally level up your Pokemon (Unless you are running from every battle).

Now battles themselves have remained, from a mechanics standpoint, nearly untouched and that's a good thing. There has never been anything wrong with combat in Pokemon and this never needed to be changed. They did of course change the graphics and animations which I will touch on later. There are a lot of smaller, what I like to call Quality of Life Improvements, to the UI and everything that I don't see the need to go into here as if you see them you will know exactly what I mean.

EV Training (Effort Values) has become much simpler this time around, you don't have to guess and check what your Pokemon's EV points are. To make along story short, EV points are how the game determines what stat bonuses a Pokemon gains. In all previous games EV points were given only by defeating Pokemon , each Pokemon gives different values. In this game, you can still do that, but you can also use training mini-games on the touch screen to raise it manually. These can get repetitive but it is a fantastic way to make sure your Pokemon get's the points in the stats you want them to be in. I spent an hour filling out my ZigZagoons speed and Attack stats so I knew it would gain the most in those 2 areas as he leveled. If you mess up or don't like how it turned out, you can actually reset EVs now using a specific item. It's been simplified for the best In my opinion as now everyone can take advantage of the EV system and in a much nicer visual way.

I wanted to throw this little addition in there, for the first time in pokemon history you more or less get free movement. No longer are you permanently tied to a Grid format. Once you get the Roller Blades (About 1 hour into the game) you are able to move in full 3D movement with the joystick, you can still move in a grid format on the D-pad for precise movement. You are still limited to the grid inside of Pokemon Centers and houses, but so far that's all it's been limited too. I love this, it's a simple change but lord do I love it. Just another Quality of Life mechanic they put in.

The Pokemon Aime system looked odd to me at first. It was more or less Nintendogs with Pokemon (sort of). And I kind of ignored it to begin with, But I did give it a try a little bit later and while yes it is still just a way to view and... well pet and feed your Pokemon it's also got hidden bonuses. The first is obvious, the more you pet and play with them the quicker their happiness grows. There are some Pokemon Like Riolu that will only evolve if they are happy enough. The secondary effect is it also grants another form of EXP boost. As you play and feed them their heart meter grows, granting a bonus to EXP gained as you battle, similar to if you had traded them from another trainer. I didn't learn about this until later but now that I know about it, I take time out of my farming to play with my Pokemon a bit, at least the ones I like!

The last and certainly not least, new addition is the Mega Evolutions. It's a simple concept really, take an old favorite Pokemon like Mewtwo, Charizard, Blastoise etc... give them a special stone, and press a button on your magical we promise this has nothing what so ever to do with Digimon bracelets, and poof. You get a new Mega Evolution Pokemon! More or less a 4th form for some. Now these are super powerful Pokemon that can really dish out some damage, but only lasts for the one battle, and on top of that you can only have one in your party (or something like that) I am not actually far enough in the game to be able to comment much more on this, but I had to mention that it's there and I am kinda excited to try it out later.

All in all, the gameplay is top notch and Fantastic.

Music/Sounds 9/10

I have always liked Pokemon music, this just seemed to take it to a new level. The only issue I have is that the 3DS/3DSXL's speakers don't give it justice, I hooked the system up to a speaker system in my apartment and then the music came to life, in fact more than I expected. Eery song was fantastic and fit the scene well the battle music is quick and gives an odd sense of urgency, the forest music was somewhat dark and mysterious and the town songs are nice and upbeat. My favorite song thus far is the Gym battle music which... I can't even describe but it's awesome!

The sound effects are also as good as ever. Each Pokemon has their own unique Cry (Noise they make) and all Pokemon from previous games have had theirs enhanced to match the quality of the new ones. I noticed this first with Linoone as he is my favorite Pokemon so I noticed his Cry had changed since I've used him in every Pokemon game since he was introduced in Sapphire/Ruby. The battle sound effects also fit the attacks and meld perfectly in with the attack. I can hear that rock throw hitting my Linoone, and it sounds... heavy.

My only minor complaint is that they didn't use the Pokemon's voices like the TV show does. The only Pokemon in the game that does is Pikachu, and I really think that they could have just made it that much better had they had all of them sound like they do in the show. It's a minor complaint but there it is!

The New Pokemon

I didn't give this a rating because it's pure opinion, but I haven't found anything wrong with the new Pokemon. They keep coming up with some pretty awesome Ideas of new Pokemon to add... and yes some not so awesome ideas. (I don't' think I will ever forgive them for the Garbage Bag Pokemon from Black/White). I've encountered a Pokemon based on the Robin, A Panda, I've ever seen a Sword Pokemon (Ghost type). Heck my favorite Pokemon is based on a badger. All have their own personalities and it shows during combat and in the Pokemon-Aime thing. It's all a matter of what you like and what you don't like.

Graphics 10/10

Ok, the biggest update the game has received is to it's graphics. Up to this point, Pokemon games have been nothing but Sprites and sometimes a little movement. All your characters, sprites. All the Pokemon, slightly moving in combat sprites. They didn't have a life of their own, it felt somewhat empty... but no longer.

This game, looks, FANTASTIC. One of the best looking games on the 3DS, and it doesn't suffer from poor framerate. I didn't quite realize how much effort they put into the Pokemon's Models until I started battling with them. Every Pokemon past and present has been redone with a 3D model, and I couldn't be happier. Anyone who has played any of the Pokemon stadium games will be familiar with how they look, but now we have them in the Pokemon game! Each Pokemon has their own movements and animations which is even more amazing to me. Take ZigZagoon and Linoone for example. ZigZagoon is known for moving in a ZigZag pattern, so when it attacks it does just that, running left, then right, then left, then attacking. Due to irony, when it evolves it no longer runs in zigzag patterns, it runs in a straight line but is unable to turn easily, so it's attack is no longer a zigzag, it's a straight dash at the opponent, then a jump backwards. This is just one of many examples of each Pokemon's different movements. Attacks also have their own looks and animations, some look better than others but that is to be expected. Now will they look as good as they do when fighting in the show? No, they still for the most part stay in their own battle "Circles" but they just look so much better when fighting I love it, I can't complain at all about it. I really can't praise the game's graphics enough... they took their time with it.

Outside of battle, the game still looks amazing, the grass and tall grass still look like they used to and in a tile format, but your character and the other characters all have nice 3D models, even if you don't see them all in combat. You can change your characters clothes, get a little customization there but sadly it's limited to just a few different outfits. I suppose it's better than nothing though!

Multiplayer 10/10

Lets talk Multi-player. A lot of us as kids got this game and loved to trade and battle with each other, trying to have the better team, etc... But it has always been restricted in many ways. until the DS games came out, internet battling never happened. And even on the DS versions it was still limited and somewhat sluggish. Black/White added the GTS (Global Trade System) why became a great way to obtain hard to find Pokemon, or Pokemon from previous entries in the series you just didn't have the ability to get. But it was still a tad bothersome as you had to go to a specific location, or go to the Pokemon centers to activate these features.

NOT ANYMORE!

Pokemon X/Y said screw all that moving around, you can battle, Trade, etc... On the go! you wanna trade with a friend? Tap on his avatar on the bottom screen and say "hey I wanna trade" same with battling. If they accept POOF. You trade/battle right then and there. You can even do this for random passer-bys. On the bottom screen will be a constantly updating list of other random players you can challenge to battles or trade with.

That not enough for ya? The GTS Is also here, and available world wide. Search for a Pokemon you want to trade for, and it will bring up a list of players that have put that Pokemon up for trade, and what they want in return. You can deposit one of your own, and ask for another Pokemon. For instance say I want a Zangoose, I can deposit a Seviper into the GTS and say "I will trade this for a Zangoose" if someone accepts it the trade occurs and you can pick up the Pokemon later. That's the best part about this, you don't have to sit and wait. It's all done even if your game is turned off. You merely have to check up on it later! you also don't have to Have the Pokemon on you to trade, trading anywhere allows you to access your Storage Bank of Pokemon and trade from there, this is a new feature and one i welcome with wide open arms.

This time around they added 2 new features to the Multiplayer!

The first is Wonder Trade. This is an... interesting New one. You trade one of your Pokemon , any one ya want, to another random person. You don't know what you are going to get until the trade is completed. And you can do this infinitely. You will probably get a lot of junk Pokemon , but I have already received some things I didn't expect. I got an Eevee, and a wierd other Pokemon I had never seen before. Along with like 3 Caterpies. But still, it's random fun. And each time you use an interaction like Wonder Trade, Trade, Battle... you gain PokeMiles which can be traded for useful items at a vendor in the main city.

The other thing they added is O-powers. these are short term buffs you can give yourself or other players. Things like "raise Attack, Raise Defense, Increase Capture Rate, etc..." They last about 3 minutes (at least at level 1) and can be sued as long as you have.. O points I guess they are called. you recover the Points as time passes, using the ability in yourself costs the full point value and using it on a friend or other player costs 1/2 the value. It's just a fun way to help others or yourself out.

Final Score:

I give Pokemon X/Y, 9 Linoones and a Zigzagoon (9.5) out of 10.

It's not perfect, but damn it's close. This is the Pokemon game that I have always wanted ever since the original Pokemon Stadium came out, showing off the Pokemon in 3D. I am a little sad that there isn't a version on the Console, I'm sure they will still make the Stadium U game, but Those only deal with combat, this is the whole game and I adore it. My only complaints I have are really the same complaints I have had from the start of Pokemon's Existence. I hate HMs. Always have, always will.

If you are New to the Pokemon series, this is probably the best to start on, even if the start is a bit rough for new players. (They don't explain a heck of a lot it just assumes you know some things by now). But it's also the best in the entire series for experienced and casual returning players alike.

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Game Freak does NOT disappoint, the next generation of Pokemon is here and its truly incredible. The graphics are amped and the gaming experience is beyond brilliant with the new Nintendo 3DS XL console system (I highly recommend getting the XL version rather than a regular 3DS).

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The graphics are great, the battlescenes are jaw-dropping, all in all the visual quality is amazing.

(Warning, If you read on, some, but not a lot of events will be spoiled, chances are it doesn't even matter)

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One of many things that I found significantly better was the amount of pokemon you come across from each generation. Once you walk on route 2 (route 1 has no grass -.- not that much of a spoiler) you have the chance to catch several different pokemon right off the bat. So far I've caught around 45-50 and barely beaten the second gym leader.

Another amazing thing about this game is how long it has been for me. I admit playing a bit casual and slow because I'm trying to savor every moment, but being 2 badges in with 10 and a half hours of gameplay so far is insane for me. Previous-gen pokemon games had me beat the elite four around 24- 30 hours, but X is most likely going to top that with an additional 20 hours.

I haven't tried out mega-evolution yet, but that's because I'm still not that far in the game, but overall I'm starting to think this is my favorite game by far in my opinion. (Opinion is a feeling of emotion towards something, not facts.)

If you don't have a 3ds I wouldn't really recommend a 2ds because you will be missing out, but if you're on a budget, saving a few bucks is understandable.

Overall I rate this 5 out of 5 for being such an amazing experience even so early in the game and I would most definately recommend this to anyone.

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It had been years since I last played a Pokemon game (Soul Silver, I think?). Despite the original Red and Blue versions being some of my earliest and dearest gaming memories, it seemed like I was just playing the same game over and over again in all of the sequels. I figured X and Y would be no different and actually didn't preorder until the last minute when I read that there would be global online connectivity. I was completely taken by surprise by all of the other awesome changes and additions! The game was able to make me feel the same sense of wonder I had when I first played Red as a child.

- Graphics are overhauled and the pokemon, battle animations, and environments look gorgeous.- A completely new region and tons of new creatures! I really feel motivated to explore and catch everything.- Global online features- from battling and trading, to new elements like O-powers that allow you to help other players out.- Along with all the new pokemon, the classics are still there, including my very first pokemon from back in the day (Charmander, oh yeah!). Thanks to these and newcomers like Fennekin (fire types are still my favorite after all these years), I have a harder time than ever deciding who to keep on my team!- In Pokemon-Amie you can pet and play three minigames (each with four difficulty levels to unlock) with your creatures, as well as feed them treats called Poke Puffs that you get as rewards for the minigames. It's fun, cute, and adds a feeling of friendship with them that I felt was missing from the original games. Also, raising your pokemon's friendship level gives them an experience boost and causes them to do special things in battle sometimes like avoiding attacks, landing critical hits, and curing themselves of status effects.- Super Training allows you to play a shooting minigame to increase your pokemon's base stats. Like a certain pokemon, but one of its stats is terrible? Now you can fix that.- Trainer customization- Buy new clothing and accessory items for your trainer or change their hairstyle/eye color. I love games like Style Savvy, so I really enjoy this element.- So many types of battles! Normal, double, horde, aerial, rotation, etc. It really mixes things up!- New Mega-Evolutions! I haven't actually gotten to do this yet, but apparently it happens during battle if you have a fully evolved pokemon hold a certain item (For example, have Charizard hold Charizardite X or Y and it will evolve into a mega X or Y version!).